Personal handyphone systems (“PHSs”) are in operation in various parts of the world, including China and Japan. The personal handyphone systems allow subscribers to place and receive telephone calls while the subscribers are located in specified service areas. In the personal handyphone system, a mobile phone or handset communicates with a base station that is connected to additional mobile phones and the public switched telephone network (“PSTN”). The base station routes calls to and from the mobile phone. The personal handyphone systems require the subscribers to set up personal handyphone system accounts. The personal handyphone system accounts keep track of the calls that the subscribers place or receive. After placing or receiving calls, the subscribers are billed and pay for the personal handyphone system service in conjunction with the calls. One shortcoming of the personal handyphone system is an inability to allow for, and control, a prepaid telephone service system.
A prepaid telephone service system in one example allows code division multiple access (“CDMA”) and global system for mobile communications (“GSM”) subscribers to pay for wireless communication service in advance of the use of the wireless communication service. The prepaid telephone service system allows subscribers to purchase wireless communication service on a per unit basis. In one example, the prepaid telephone service system allows a telephone user to add to an account balance by purchasing call time minutes, for example, fixed quantities of call time minutes. The prepaid telephone service system tracts the usage of the call time minutes. When all the fixed number of the call time minutes have been used by the subscriber, the subscriber must purchase another fixed number of call time minutes before the subscriber can make another call. In another example, the prepaid telephone service system allows a telephone user to add funds to the account balance that the prepaid telephone service system will convert into call time minutes. One shortcoming of the prepaid telephone service system is an inability to accommodate a subscriber of the personal handyphone system.
Thus, a need exists for an enhanced personal handyphone system.